(Adventures of Superman #432) - Jose took in Jerry White and tried unsuccessfully to get him away from his involvement in street gangs. Jose saved the tenants of a Suicide Slum building from a fire was set by Lex Luthor, who owned the building, but he blamed it on youth gangs. Luthor started recruiting gang members to act as his muscle, and Jose met with some of them to try and set them on the straight and narrow. Jose was in the way of Lex's plans, so he had gang members meet him in Bridge's Carpet Factory, knock him unconscious, and set the building on fire. Lex had the exits locked so the gang members would perish and provide Lex with plausible deniability, but Superman put out the fire and made sure there were no casualties.

(Adventures of Superman #433, 434) - Jose took in Jerry White when he was running from the law. Lois Lane insisted on turning him in, but Jose said he was still trying to save him. Jerry went to jail, and Jose spoke out publicly against Lex Luthor's youth program, leading to a beating from Lex's goons. Jose was inspired by Superman to buy equipment from a survivalist shop and take on the costumed identity of Gangbuster. With reformed gang members help he broke into LexCorp and do millions in property damage. He forced information out of Lex's associates, and found Lex had mobilized the remaining gang members, armed them with weapons and set them off to loot and kill. Superman and Gangbuster rounded them up, but Superman warned Gangbuster to watch how far he went in his vigilante protection of youth.

(Adventures of Superman #437) - Jose went on a date with Lois Lane, but it was interrupted by Combattor, who tried to take Lois hostage to draw in Superman. Jose changed to Gangbuster and battled the villain, whose own power eventually burned out his body and killed him, but as he died he landed on Gangbuster's back, breaking his spine and crippling him.

(Adventures of Superman #439) - Lois visited Jose in the hospital and made it clear she was interested in him. He protested that he was now a cripple, but she wouldn't hear it.

(Adventures of Superman #440) - Jerry White visited Jose in the hospital and told him he didn't realize how much he valued him before. Jose also got a visit from Lois.

(Adventures of Superman #442) - Lois brought Jose home from the hospital, and they witnessed a homeless woman being attacked by gang members. Jose was burning to do something, and Lois fought them off. In his apartment he bemoaned that he no longer felt like a man now that he was crippled, but Lois told him he was a man and kissed him.

He was offered the chance to walk again via an experimental microchip implant developed by Advanced Research Laboratories. He readily accepted the offer. While going through recuperation a new Gangbuster appeared in Metropolis. This Gangbuster was actually Superman, who was suffering from psychosis brought on by an encounter with Brainiac.